Rare Earth Supply Push (China): China Northern Rare Earth Group is expanding the Bayan Obo mine in Inner Mongolia by 50% with a reported $74m investment to boost ore processing and modernize extraction. Gold & Silver Markets (Philippines): Lepanto Consolidated Mining says first-half 2026 net income more than doubled to ₱1.59bn as realized gold and silver prices surged, even as output fell. Exploration Updates (Australia): Beacon Minerals confirmed high-grade gold at the Iguana deposit (Lady Ida Project) ahead of an updated resource estimate, while Arrow Minerals reviewed historical Yarraloola drill core and flagged VMS-style potential. Project Growth (Brazil): St George Mining lifted the Araxá rare-earth resource estimate by 57% to 111.2m tonnes, strengthening development study inputs. Safety & Crime (South Africa): Police report 14 illegal miners dead and eight seriously injured after a rockfall at a disused Rustenburg-area mine. Corporate Moves (Global Mining): Barrick appointed Sebastiaan Bock as CEO for its “Rest of World” operations, aiming to grow gold and copper outside North America. Critical Minerals Policy (India): India’s commerce minister outlined supply-chain resilience efforts for critical sectors, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths and copper. Tech for Mining (South Africa): Deloitte Africa and Refuel partnered to help mining and other heavy industries digitize diesel rebate claims for faster, compliant payouts. Rare Earths Development (Australia): Australian Rare Earths began pilot processing at its Koppamurra project to generate data for a bankable feasibility study.